Managing a municipality is a complex project. Setting policy, providing services to residents, supervising administrative staff and implementing the annual budget all call for a potent combination of skills and training. In many municipalities, the mayor and council share those management duties with a city manager. The city manager's duties and salary will vary with the size and expectations of the community.

National Averages

The International City/County Management Association is an international organization of city managers and related professionals. They perform regular salary surveys, making the data available to members at a modest price. The University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs cites 2003 salary data from ICMA, showing an average income for city managers of $92,472. That varied substantially depending on the size of the community. Towns of 2,500 residents or fewer paid an average of $56,437, while cities of more than 1,000,000 residents paid their managers an average of $217,893. In non-urban areas, county managers averaged $106,511.

Training and Career Path

There is no single career path to city management, and there's no licensing. Each municipality sets out its own criteria when hiring a manager. However, the ICMA notes that most careers begin with an undergraduate degree in political science, public administration or management. Many go on to a graduate degree in one of these subjects. Future city managers usually begin in a subordinate role, gradually gaining experience and responsibility. A typical career path might take the administrator to the head of a department in a larger community, then the manager's role in a series of increasingly large towns. The ICMA also offers a credentialed manager certification of its own.

The Manager's Role

In most cases, a city manager occupies an intermediary position between the community's staff and its elected mayor and council. The mayor and council set policy for the community and pass legislation, while the city manager provides the administrative skills to make those laws and policies a reality. It's a position of considerable influence and scope. "People skills" form a large part of the manager's repertoire. On one hand the manager attempts to instill a shared culture and a uniform set of goals within city staff. On the other, the manager must provide council with the information and feedback they need to make good policy decisions.

Outlook

The ICMA publishes a pamphlet for those considering a career in city management. Although it strikes an encouraging note, they're quick to note that city management is not a fast-growing field. At the time of its publication, about half of American towns with at least 10,000 residents employed a manager. Most growth in the field comes from population growth, an area where the west and south take the lead. Aspiring city managers should be willing to relocate periodically. Moving might be necessary to find an entry-level position, and in most cases promotion comes from taking positions in larger and more affluent communities.

About the Author

Fred Decker is a trained chef and certified food-safety trainer. Decker wrote for the Saint John, New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal, and has been published in Canada's Hospitality and Foodservice magazine. He's held positions selling computers, insurance and mutual funds, and was educated at Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.